EncDate:20/10/22 

EncSeq:1

Enc#:74

ObservBegin:11:58 AM

ObservEnd:12:20 PM

Vessel:Orcinus

Staff:Dave Ellifrit

Pods:Transients

LocationDescr:Strait of Juan de Fuca

Start Latitude:48 17.33

Start Longitude:123 13.82

End Latitude:48 18.80

End Longitude:123 12.70

 

EncSummary:

Dave left Port Angeles Harbor in the late morning in “Orcinus” after spending a couple of days visiting at the Big Salmon Ranch. There was a steady misty rain falling and poor visibility. The spit could not be seen in the gloom but, after steering by Garmin, “Orcinus” finally made it around the buoy at the end of the spit and pointed north towards home. Visibility was still, at best, a couple of hundred feet with a heavy mist. There were frequent stops to wipe the rain off the glasses and to check the Garmin. After about fifteen minutes of wet boat ride, it opened up a bit and quit raining. There was now maybe a mile or more of visibility depending on what direction one was looking although there were no land masses visible. At about 1155, Dave was cruising along when he saw a male killer whale dorsal fin at about one o’clock off the boat’s bow. The male turned out to be T123A and the rest of the T123s and they were a couple miles south of the US/Canadian border somewhere south of the Trial Island area. The T123s were heading slowly northeast in less than a tight group with just a little bit of milling. T123D glided over to the boat while upside down and passed under it. The whales were acting quite relaxed and were not arching much at all with long dives of just a couple of minutes. After about ten minutes, the whales went on another long dive and disappeared. Dave eventually shut the engine off and listened for their blows. After another ten minutes, the T123s appeared again a little to the north and east of where they were first seen. The visibility was deteriorating again when the whales came up near a fog line and disappeared for good after a series of short dives. The encounter was over by 1220 and Dave continued northeast toward San Juan Island.